Chicken and Red Onion in Phyllo Cups

Attention, phyllo-phobics! Don’t be daunted by this recipe. Phyllo dough is a lot more forgiving than you might think. When serving these, you may want to provide small plates for your guests—they’re a little crumbly (but oh so melt-in-your-mouthy).

For the phyllo cups

1 package phyllo pastry sheets (17 x 12-inch sheets), thawed according to package directions
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for buttering the muffin tin

For the filling

3 to 6 cups chicken broth
3 to 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound total)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup diced red onion
3 tablespoons dry white wine or sherry
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 12-cup mini-muffin tin.

Prepare the cups

Cover the stack of phyllo sheets with a clean, damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out. Put one phyllo sheet on a work surface and brush with melted butter. Cut the sheet in half lengthwise, then cut each half in half again lengthwise, which will result in four strips, each 3 inches wide.

Place the four strips, each butter side up, on top of one another. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out five rounds (each made up of four layers) or simply cut across the stacks to form 3-inch squares (you’ll have a little dough left over).

Press each stack of dough into a muffin cup so that the dough comes just to the top of the cup (trim the edges with kitchen shears or a knife if necessary). Bake until golden and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool. Repeat until you’ve used all the phyllo. Reduce oven to 300°F.

Prepare the filling

In a large skillet, put enough broth (about 2 inches) to cover a single layer of chicken breast halves. Bring the liquid to a boil. Add the chicken breasts. Reduce to a simmer and poach the chicken, turning once halfway through, until no longer pink in the middle, 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the skillet and finely chop. Discard the chicken cooking liquid and in the same skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the diced onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until very tender (some pieces will be browned at the edges), about 3 minutes. Add the wine or sherry and chopped thyme and cook until the liquid has evaporated, another minute or so. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the chopped chicken and feta cheese.

Spoon a tablespoon of the filling into each phyllo cup. Bake the filled cups for 3 to 4 minutes until warmed.

Makes about 40 cups.

Make-Ahead Factor

The phyllo cups can be baked 3 days ahead, cooled completely, and stored tightly covered at room temperature. They can be frozen for a month. The filling can be made 1 day ahead and kept covered and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before filling the cups. Warm the filled cups in a 300°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes.

From Cocktail Parties, Straight Up! Easy Hors D'oeuvres, Delicious Drinks and Inspired Ideas for Entertaining with Style by Lauren and Anne Purcell.